


Trials and Tribulations (of Parenting)

by CaliHart



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Gen, Minor Character Death (offscreen), Petopher Secret Santa 2014, that was already a tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:17:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2831216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaliHart/pseuds/CaliHart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Peter finds out that a Montana-based branch of the Hale family has been wiped out, he finds himself gaining custody of the sole survivor--a three month old baby girl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trials and Tribulations (of Parenting)

**Author's Note:**

> Since I'm already two days past my deadline and this thing is turning out to be a lot longer than I thought, it'll be going up in parts as I work on it. Sorry it's so late! Tags and things will be added to as I update. The medical and legal stuff was only about half-researched so it may not all be correct. Title is subject to change.

“Mr. Peter Hale?” 

“Yes?” 

“My name is Edward Conley, I am the attorney of the Hale-James family? They have you listed as their next of kin.” 

“Oh God.” 

“I am sorry to inform you that—”

“Were there any survivors?” 

“…I’m sorry?”

“Were there any survivors.” 

“…Only one, I’m afraid. Diana Hale-James, age 3 months.” 

“And is she in the hospital now?” 

“She is, yes. …May I say, you seem to be taking this surprisingly well?” 

“Let’s just say this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.” 

\--

Peter left town without much more than a word to Derek to let him know he’d be gone. The drive would take too long, so he went to San Francisco and got on a flight from there to Billings, Montana, where he rented a car to drive himself to the hospital the lawyer had told him about. He was directed at the front desk to the pediatrics unit and found the lawyer standing in front of a waiting room supplied with toys. 

“Mr. Conley?” Peter asked, gaining the man’s attention. He held out his hand. “Peter Hale.” 

“I’m glad you could make it here so quickly on such short notice,” Mr. Conley said, shaking his hand briefly and letting him go. His eyes flickered to the right side of Peter’s face, letting him know that he had researched the Beacon Hills Hale fire after their phone call. “It’s such a horrible thing to have happened, especially twice to the same family.” 

“Yes, well.” Peter shook his head. “Where’s Diana?” he asked. 

“Ah, right. They’ve got her in her own little room, right by the nurse’s station so they can keep a better eye on her,” he said, turning and leading the way away from the waiting room, down a few hallways until they stopped by the nurse’s station, in front of a room with half the wall made out of windows so people could see inside. The room held several machines standing around one of the typical hospital bassinets, in which laid a baby who was only wearing a diaper. A few of the machines were hooked up to her, and Peter could tell one of them was a heart monitor. If he focused, he could hear for himself that her heart was beating strongly, if a little slow. 

“The first responders on the scene found her lying on the ground outside one of the basement windows. Presumably someone reached through the window and set her down as far as they could reach, but the windows were too small for anyone else to get out of the house. The doctor who has been overseeing her care said she has suffered from smoke inhalation, and they have yet to determine whether it will impact her development at all.”

“No burns?” Peter asked, not taking his eyes away from the baby. 

“Nothing severe. She was far enough from the flames to avoid most of the heat. What she did receive was the equivalent of a minor sunburn, but that has cleared up with attention.” Mr. Conley consulted the folder full of papers in his hand. “Now, Mr. and Mrs. James indicated in their will that you were to receive custody of the child, but Mr. James’s parents have a closer relation to the child, which by law means that they should receive custody instead. I have called them as well, and when they arrive I’m sure we can figure out an arrangement that will be agreeable for all involved.” Peter kept his face carefully blank and looked at the man. 

“May I go in and see her?” he asked. Mr. Conley flipped through the papers. 

“That should be allowed. Let me go get the nurse, we don’t want to upset the machines in there by accident.” He turned and walked over to the nurse’s station, and Peter could hear the low murmur of conversation as he turned back to the glass. Mr. Conley returned with a matronly nurse in pink scrubs only a minute later, and she smiled at Peter as she opened the door to the room. 

“She has been responding well to treatment,” the nurse said, leading them in. “The few burns she received are healing up nicely, and her mouth and throat are a healthy pink, no damage apparent. We took a blood sample and we have been keeping her on oxygen while we monitor her heart rate. The toxicity level in her blood was low, and it has been decreasing the longer she’s been breathing the clean air here. So far she has responded well to both visual and auditory stimulation, but the doctor will check her over again later to ensure all her senses are working properly.” Peter stepped up to one side of the bassinet, looking down at the baby. She had soft-looking brown hair that curled slightly around her ears and healthy pink skin. She still smelled faintly of smoke and burning things, and Peter had to clench his teeth tightly to keep from reacting to it. It would fade with time. 

Peter reached out and brushed his fingers over her arm down to her hand, and Diana opened her dark blue eyes and looked up at him. Peter flashed his eyes briefly after making sure the nurse and lawyer couldn’t see. The baby immediately started wailing, her eyes screwing up as she lifted her hands toward him. The others looked alarmed; the nurse bustling closer, but Peter carefully scooped Diana from the bed and cradled her against his shoulder. The nurse removed the tiny oxygen mask from her face and removed the heart monitor from her skin, switching the machine off. Peter hummed softly in Diana’s ear as she cried into his shoulder, her tiny hands clenching in his shirt. After a moment, her crying tapered down to sniffles while Peter gently rubbed her back. 

“We couldn’t get her to calm down that fast with any of us,” the nurse said softly. Peter glanced at her and the lawyer standing next to her. 

“There’s no replacement for family,” he replied just as softly. He looked around for a chair and Mr. Conley brought one over for him to sink into. Peter adjusted Diana so that he could look down into her face, her small body supported by his left arm so he could brush the fingers of his right hand over her face. She stared raptly up at him, her face still red and wet from crying, and she barely blinked as he brushed the tears away. 

“Hello sweetheart,” he whispered to her, sweeping his fingers over her round cheek. Mr. Conley quietly excused himself and stepped out of the room, and the nurse checked a few of the machines before she smiled at Peter and followed the lawyer out. Peter let his eyes glow blue as the door gently shut, the dim light coloring Diana’s skin and reflecting back from her own blue eyes. 

“I think you and I will get along just fine,” he told her. 

\--

Peter was still sitting there an hour later when his own lawyer entered the room, preceded by the faint smell of sex. Peter stood and stepped away from the chair, holding out a hand with Diana fast asleep in his other arm. 

“Brandon, I’m glad you could make it,” he said. The incubus took his hand with a grin. 

“You know I’ll do anything for my favorite client, Peter,” he said before glancing down at the baby. “So this is the one.” 

“Yes, this is Diana,” Peter said, angling his body forward and lifting her slightly. Brandon leaned down and took a whiff of her. 

“She smells healthy under the smoke. No abnormalities I can detect, but I’m not a doctor, so I would suggest you get a second opinion.” Peter nodded. 

“I’ll want adoption papers drawn up if her grandparents agree. The lawyer who contacted me told me that they have the legal right to her because they have a more direct relation, but they may decide to let me have custody of her because it was stipulated in her parents’ wills,” Peter told him. Brandon’s face went serious. 

“That won’t be a quick process,” Brandon said. “There will need to be an inspection of your home, a background check for you, and social services will want to remain in contact with you and the grandparents. Will there be any other contests for custody?” 

“No. Her father was an only child, and her mother Selena’s parents and siblings all died in the house. Each body was accounted for so we won’t have anyone turning up later wanting her, if the grandparents give her to me,” Peter told him. Brandon nodded in understanding and skimmed his hand over her hair. 

“I look forward to seeing how she grows.” They both went quiet and turned as the door to the room opened, revealing Mr. Conley and an elderly couple who both smelled of wolves. 

“Demon! Get away from my grandchild!” the man growled at Brandon, who sniffed in their direction before looking past the couple to the human lawyer. 

“Mr. Conley, was it?” he asked smoothly. “My name is Brandon Sash, I am Mr. Hale’s lawyer. Come, let us leave them to get acquainted, I want to look over the terms of the will with you.” He neatly sidestepped the fuming couple and led Edward Conley from the room with a hand on his elbow, closing the door firmly behind them. The Jameses watched them go and then turned to Peter. Diana had startled awake when Mr. James raised his voice, and Peter was working on quieting her. The three adults looked at each other in silence for a moment, Mr. James clearly still fuming, and then Mrs. James took a few steps forward and held her hands out towards Peter and Diana. 

“We were told she was in a fire. Is she alright?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly. 

“She’s fine,” Peter said, turning Diana so she was facing her grandmother. “Only minor burns that have already cleared up, and a bit of smoke inhalation which the hospital has been treating.” Mrs. James glanced at Peter for permission before lifting Diana from his arms, cradling the baby against her shoulder. 

“Oh, we were so worried when we heard about the fire,” she said with tears in her eyes. “At least the little one was able to make it out okay.” Peter nodded gravely. 

“Mrs. James—”

“Please, call me Jezebel.” 

“Jezebel, I’m sure Mr. Conley explained to you the situation?” Peter asked. Jezebel nodded. 

“Connor and Selena indicated in their will that Diana was to go to you,” she said. “Though I’m sure they never expected that it would need to be put into effect. We were to manage the rest of their affairs, and I believe they set up a trust fund for Diana, which should help pay for her care.” 

“Jezebel,” Mr. James growled warningly. 

“Hush, Bruce. You know it’s only sensible,” she said without turning. She looked down at Diana and then up at Peter. “Connor was a surprise baby. We’d never gotten pregnant before and I was almost past my bearing years when he came along. We were able to raise him okay despite our age but we are too old now to properly care for an infant. She’ll do better with you taking care of her.” 

“Your confidence in me is inspiring,” Peter said. 

“Oh, Selena told us about you. She said you were really good with the kids even though you were a teenager, and that you knew just how to handle your baby niece—what was her name?” 

“Cora.” 

“Cora, yes. And it was so terrible to hear about your family, it was such a horrible thing to have happened.” Peter glanced away briefly, having to steel himself for what he could guess was coming. 

“Are you sure he’ll be able to take her, Jez?” Bruce asked. “He doesn’t have permission from his alpha yet.” Peter looked at him over Jezebel’s head to see him frowning. 

“The Hales are traditionally matriarchal, aren’t they? Who is your alpha, dear?” Jezebel asked. Peter sighed inaudibly. 

“My nephew Derek is my alpha now. His sister Laura passed away last year, and the power fell to him. I was still recovering so it was just him for a while, but he’s added some new members to the pack in the last several months. We’re…still trying to cope with the changes. He’ll be okay with me bringing Diana home. We don’t turn away family no matter their status.” He reached out and brushed his hand down Diana’s back, watching as she squirmed at the touch. Jezebel reached up and cupped a hand over his cheek. 

“You poor boy,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to call on us, alright? We’ll be happy to take Diana for a day or weekend here and there if you need it.” 

“Thank you,” Peter said to her. The door opened then and Brandon stepped into the room, followed by the same nurse from before. 

“Mr. Hale, Mr. and Mrs. James, if you would please follow me? We have some things we need to go over,” Brandon said. The nurse came forward to take the baby from Jezebel, and Peter dropped a kiss on Diana’s head. 

“I’ll be back soon, sweetheart,” he said to her before following the others from the room. 

\--

Peter ended up staying in a hotel near the hospital for a week while Brandon was talking with the Montana and California courts to get permission for Peter to take Diana out of state. Peter used the time to check in with Derek a few times and to have baby supplies sent to his apartment in Beacon Hills. He’d received tentative permission by the time the hospital was ready to release Diana, and Jezebel and Bruce escorted them to the airport, with Diana’s brand new car seat and a diaper bag packed full to bursting with new clothes, diapers, and formula. All of her old clothing along with her previous car seat had been lost in the fire, and Jezebel took great joy in buying new things for her. 

Peter was glad that Diana slept all through takeoff and the landing in Salt Lake, and the bottle he had prepared kept her occupied when their connecting flight to Sacramento took off, but she had finished with it by the time they started to descend again, and Diana started to scream and cry as the pressure changed on her tiny sensitive ears. Peter did his best to quiet her, receiving a mix of sympathetic and dirty looks from the passengers around them. Several of those were quick to leave the plane as soon as they were allowed to disembark. Peter was struggling to fit everything back into the diaper bag when a family struggled by and one of their bags smacked into Diana’s back, setting her screaming again. The woman across the aisle, who had been calmly collecting her things, gave him a smile and stepped over to him. 

“I can bring your things out to you if you want to take her out of the plane?” she offered. 

“Thank you,” Peter gasped, standing up. “It’s just my jacket and her things, I think,” he said before squeezing between the seats and quickly leaving the plane. Inside the terminal, he walked over to a quiet corner and bounced Diana gently in his arms, working on getting her calm again. A few minutes later, the woman from the plane walked over with the diaper bag in one hand, his jacket slung through the handles, and her own small suitcase wheeling along behind her. 

“Thank you,” Peter said again, Diana still fussing in his ear. “I don’t know if she’s ever flown before today.” The woman set the bag on a chair and Peter started digging through it for the empty bottle and a can of formula. 

“How old is she?” the woman asked. 

“Three months,” Peter answered, trying to get the lid off the formula with one hand. The woman took it from him and deftly measured out a few scoops and dumped them in the bottle. 

“The drinking fountains will be cold. Do you want me to go fill it up in the women’s bathroom?” she asked. Peter hesitated and glanced at Diana. 

“No, I’ll just go do it in the men’s. She probably needs a diaper change now anyway.” The woman tucked the can back in the bag and pulled out a diaper and the package of wipes.

“Is there a changing table in the men’s bathroom?” she asked next. Peter thought about it and groaned. The woman smiled. 

“People don’t even stop to think that single fathers or even just men traveling with babies might need a place to change a diaper,” she said. “Come on, we can go into the women’s bathroom, I’ll make sure you won’t be bothered.” She took the diaper bag and started walking away, leaving Peter with no choice but to follow. He did get some odd looks for walking straight into the women’s bathroom, and one woman in there looked like she was going to call for security, but the woman Peter was following quickly explained the situation as Peter pointedly kept his eyes away from the stalls, unfolding the changing table and setting Diana down on it. She immediately started wailing again. 

“Want to switch?” the woman offered, holding the bottle out to him. Peter nodded and took the bottle to the sink as the woman went about removing the lower half of Diana’s clothes to get to her diaper. He tested the water with his fingers before filling the bottle, putting the top back on, and shaking it to mix it. He tested the temperature again on his wrist and then popped the bottle into Diana’s open mouth. She went quiet and sucked on it while starting up at him with her dark blue eyes, and Peter curled his free hand over the top of her head, holding the bottle steady with the other. The woman made quick work of changing the diaper and the dressed Diana again. 

“There we go,” she said, tossing the diaper in the garbage and going to clean her hands. Peter carefully picked up Diana from the table and folded it back up. He got Diana settled more securely in his left arm as he left the bathroom with the woman following. Peter stopped outside the door and went to take the diaper bag from her, but she just smiled. 

“We’re both going to checkout, right? I can keep holding onto it for you until we get to the baggage claim, you’ve got your hands full with the little one.” 

“Why are you doing this?” Peter asked. 

“I’ve got children of my own, and I’ve tried flying alone with them before. I know it isn’t easy, and it didn’t seem like anyone else was going to help you.” She shrugged. “It was the right thing to do, is all.” She turned towards the checkout, and Diana fussed until Peter got the bottle back in the right position before following. 

Suitcases were already traveling around the belt when they got to the baggage claim, and the woman expertly claimed a spot next to it so they wouldn’t have to shove between the other passengers to grab their things. Peter pointed to Diana’s car seat as soon as it came into view, wrapped in a large, clear plastic garbage bag that was sealed with tape. 

“There, that’s ours,” he said. The woman waited until it came within reach and then lifted it down to the floor, taking some keys from her pocket to tear apart the tape. Peter set Diana in the seat after it had been taken out of the bag and secured her in it with the seatbelts before checking it for damage. There were a few scuff marks on it, but nothing that would compromise the integrity of the seat. The woman had retrieved a suitcase matching her smaller carry-on while he was busy, and as he stood up she grabbed another identical suitcase and pulled it from the belt. A teenage boy who couldn’t be more than fourteen squirmed his way through the crowd, followed by a girl who could have been ten or twelve, the two of them coming to a stop by the woman. 

“Ready to go, mom?” the boy asked. 

“Not yet, dear, I’m helping this man get his things,” the woman answered, gesturing to Peter. The two children looked over at him and Diana. 

“We’ll take your stuff out to the car then,” the boy said, taking the handles of the small suitcase and one of the larger ones and walking away. The girl took the other large suitcase and followed him, leaving more space clear around them. Peter shifted the car seat and diaper bag closer to the belt, picking up the empty plastic bag and setting it on top of the diaper bag. 

“What are you looking for then?” the woman asked him. 

“Just a big red suitcase,” Peter answered. “I think I saw it go around once already. There, it’s coming around again.” Peter pointed to it, and when it came close they each grabbed one end and moved it to the floor. Peter pulled up the handle and slung the handles of the diaper bag over it so the bag sat on top of the suitcase. The woman picked up the clear plastic bag as it fell to the floor and Peter picked up Diana in her seat.

“Is someone coming to get you or do you need a cab called?” she asked. Peter shook his head. 

“I have a car out in long term parking,” he said. He leaned over and partially unzipped his suitcase. “You can put the bag in here, I might as well keep it since I don’t know if I’ll be using it again.” The woman stuffed the bag into the suitcase and Peter zipped it back up before taking the handle. The woman escorted him to the doors and outside, where a line of cars by the curb were waiting to pick up passengers. The woman’s son stood by a van down the line a ways. 

“Will you be okay to get to your car?” she asked, looking up at Peter. He smiled and nodded. 

“I’ll be fine. Thank you for your help.” The woman smiled and patted his arm. 

“Have a safe trip,” she said before walking over to the van. Peter stood and watched them go before he hefted the car seat again and walked in the direction of the parking garage. It was easy to get the bags and Diana loaded into the car, and then they were on their way home. 

\--

Diana was asleep again by the time Peter made it to his apartment building. Peter got the bags out of the car before retrieving Diana, car seat and all, and heading into the building, being careful to keep the carrier steady so he wouldn’t wake her. Thankfully the elevator was empty when he reached it, so he was able to go straight up to his apartment. A woman was waiting for the elevator when he stepped out on his floor, and he gave her a nod as he passed her, getting a scathing look in response. When Peter got his door open, he nearly tripped as soon as he stepped inside, a few large boxes stacked just inside the doorway. He grumbled quietly and carefully maneuvered past them, leaving Diana and the diaper bag in his living room before he went to move his suitcase and the boxes so he could close the door. 

Once it was locked, he took the suitcase to his room and emptied the clothes in it into his laundry hamper. His belts and extra shoes were put away, his keys and wallet were set back in their places, and he plugged his phone into the wall to charge. The items belonging to Diana were left on the bed to be put away later while the empty suitcase was slid under his bed. 

Peter went back out to the living room to check on Diana, found that she was still asleep, and went to the kitchen. He’d left his fridge woefully empty before he left since he didn’t know how long he’d be gone and made a mental note to go shopping later. He went back to his room to get his phone and made an order at a pizza place that delivered, then pulled out one box from the pile, sat down near where Diana was sleeping, and started attempting to assemble the crib that had come in the box. 

\--

An hour later, Peter was sitting there on the floor with a half empty pizza box and a half assembled crib when Diana woke up and started fussing. Peter groaned as he moved from his bent-over position on the floor and freed her from the straps of the seat. 

“Hello, little one. Are you hungry or do you just want to be held?” he asked, giving her a brief sniff. She kept fussing even as he cradled her in his arms, so he got up and headed to the kitchen, quickly fixing up a bottle to give to her. Peter went to his couch when she was quiet again, turning on the tv even as he made sure the bottle was stable leaning against his chest. He flicked through the channels until he found something interesting, splitting his attention between it and Diana. When she finished the bottle, he took it and set it on the coffee table as he shifted her up to his shoulder. He glanced at the clock and then at the crib spread in pieces across the floor and the other boxes still by the door. 

“We can go to the store tomorrow,” he decided.


End file.
